Penn football players go from rivals to roommates

In high school, Cameron Countryman and Dylan Muscat faced off at the line of scrimmage, playing on opposite sides of a vicious rivalry between two California public high schools.

Now, they share a dorm room at an Ivy League institution more than 2,700 miles from home. These days, if they face off, it’s during practice for the Penn football team or while hanging out in the Quad.

The freshmen matched up against one another in high school — Muscat as a defensive back guarded Countryman, a receiver.

The competitive intensity of their history is amplified by the fact that their schools are archrivals. Countryman’s alma mater, Beverly Hills High School, and Muscat’s old team, Santa Monica High School, regularly schedule their homecoming football games against one another, and in the weeks leading up to the game, the taunting and chiding commences, according to Muscat.

“For us, it’s like a Celtics-Lakers rivalry,” Muscat said.

Countryman noted that the rivalry extends even beyond the major sports.

“It’s not just football,” Countryman said. “Whether it be even volleyball or water polo, we pack the stadiums and we just hate each other from the time the whistle blows ’til it ends.”

As exceptional athletes in high school, both Muscat and Countryman had offers from higher-profile football programs. Pac-12 schools pursued Countryman, but he ultimately chose to play at Penn on account of its educational opportunities.

“The schools that I had scholarships from academically could not stand up to the Ivy offers that I had, and academics was pushed from a real young age from both of my parents,” Countryman said.

His choice caught the attention of ESPN, and the Wharton freshman was subsequently recognized in ESPN’s “18 Under 18” feature, which identifies “18 male and 18 female teen athletes who are doing remarkable things on the field, in the classroom and in their communities.”

Though ESPN’s feature put him in the same discussion as athletes like Olympic gold medalist Jordyn Wieber, Countryman downplays the attention.

“It was cool to look in the magazine and see myself, but that’s all it is,” he said. “When the next edition comes out, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Muscat’s decision to play football for the Quakers was ultimately made for similar reasons, but he took a circuitous route in reaching that choice.

After his official visit in January, he verbally committed to Penn. But a week before signing day in early February, Muscat received a call from the University of Wyoming with an offer of its own. Lured by the school’s football program, Muscat then committed to Wyoming.

It took a long talk with Penn defensive coordinator Ray Priore to reaffirm Muscat’s confidence in the Quakers as the right choice.

“He told me that Wyoming is like the pretty girl that walks down the street and she caught your eye, but you still have a good girl back home and that’s Penn,” Muscat recalled.

Muscat then re-committed to the Quakers after considering that “a scholarship to Wyoming is for four years, but a scholarship to Penn is for your life.”

Apart from playing against one another, Countryman and Muscat first became acquainted with each other when they learned they were both getting interest from Penn.

In January, they took their official visits to Philadelphia at the same time and roomed together. After that experience, living together during the school year was an easy decision.

At their dorm room in the Quad, they relax and unwind and “freestyle” at least three times a week, according to Countryman. Often, they’ll talk about how practice went that day. With both players working to get playing time, they can closely relate to each other’s experiences on the field.

“It’s always good to have someone right there just to talk to and kind of get it out of your mind,” Countryman said.

While Muscat’s old teammates are skeptical about him rooming with someone from Beverly Hills, they’re gradually coming to terms with the idea. Countryman and Muscat’s high school teammates have spoken to each other since the two have become roommates.

“I guess they’re getting to know each other,” Muscat said.

Though Muscat and Countryman are close friends now, the rivalry will momentarily be revived this week — Beverly Hills and Santa Monica meet on the gridiron Friday evening.

“There’s going to be a lot of [trash] talking,” Muscat said.

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